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The Toybox

by Josh Taylor

Blu-ray player prices spike - wow, who could have seen that one coming?

I had put myself on a self-imposed exile of sorts on writing about high-def DVDs , but a post over at Tom's Hardware got me all riled up, so I'm lifting the ban. Turns out that since January 1 (right before the pre-CES announcement that Warner Brothers was leaving HD DVD), prices for every standalone Blu-ray player have spiked.

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Acer Aspire M5100 a solid performer For performance-minded shoppers on a budget, the $700 quad-core Acer Aspire M5100 is fast enough to make you think about spending more than you might otherwise. If all you need is a capable PC with a decent hard drive, you can get away with a less expensive dual-core system.

Sony PCM-D50 has unbeatable combo for recording If you're looking to make great mobile recordings without lugging around a cumbersome laptop recording rig, the Sony PCM-D50 offers an unbeatable combination of design, recording quality, battery life, and features at a justifiable price.

Mio Moov 310 a disappointment The Mio Moov 310 in-car GPS doesn't move very fast with all its performance issues, which is a shame since it otherwise offers a nice set of navigation features for a wallet-friendly price.

Apple AirPort Express Base Station (802.11n) serves its purpose Don't pick up a new, 802.11n-enabled AirPort Express if you're looking for superfast wireless networking performance. You should consider it, however, if you're in the market for a new Wi-Fi router that offers portability, ease of use, and the unique ability to stream iTunes over your network.

Grace ITC-IR1000B Wireless Internet Radio (black) hits the airwaves While it lacks even some basic extras, the Grace Wireless Internet Radio delivers smooth Internet radio via Wi-Fi at a relatively affordable price.

Panasonic HDC-SD9: Avoid for now Despite its trio of CCDs, the video quality and performance of the Panasonic HDC-SD9 are a bit too inconsistent. Plus, we recommend avoiding this model until software support for it improves.

Toshiba Satellite X205-SLi4 hard to recommend We've always appreciated the inexpensive SLI options offered by Toshiba's gaming-oriented X205 series, but it's hard to recommend the X205-SLi4 when other vendors offer better frame rates for almost $1,000 less.

Toshiba Satellite A205-6808 good for home, students The Toshiba Satellite A205-S6808's greatest feature is its rock-bottom price--not exciting, but certainly adequate for home and student use.